Tri-jet just first of many new aircraft requiring powerplants in 10,000lb-thrust range.
June will mark the official start of a marathon for as many as five engine manufacturers hoping to sell 10,000lb-thrust (45kN) class turbofan engines to makers of business jets and regional airliners.
Dassault is expected to fire the starting gun at the Paris air show in June when it chooses an engine for the new "Future Falcon" tri-jet, a replacement for the Honeywell TFE731-powered Falcon 50EX, the last of which will be delivered this summer. Dassault is planning to certify the new Falcon around 2011.
Engine manufacturers say Future Falcon is but one of many new aircraft that will need an engine in the 10,000lb-thrust size range. "Virtually every business aviation manufacturer has some sort of plan that will require a 10K or higher thrust engine," says Jean Pierre Cojan, executive vice-president, commercial at Snecma, which is a competitor with Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney Canada and Rolls-Royce for the new Dassault super-midsize engines. General Electric, whose CF34-3B turbofan provides just under 9,000lb-thrust and powers the Bombardier Challenger 604 and 605 large-cabin business jets, is also considering such an engine, although the company will not provide further details.
Rumoured front runners for the Future Falcon engines are Honeywell and R-R. Honeywell's entrant, the HTF10000, will be an upgraded and enhanced version of its HTF7000 engine, the turbofan that powers the Bombardier Challenger 300.
The company plans to begin flight testing two HTF7000-based demonstrator engines mid-June on its Boeing 720 testbed.
The new engine will have a thrust range from 9,500 to 11,000lb, say officials, and will have increased operating pressures and temperatures for improved fuel efficiency, reduced emissions and noise, and longer life.
The company has ordered long-lead forgings and castings for the powerplant and plans to run a full version by late 2008.
Like GE, R-R is also keeping its development work under wraps, saying only that the likely entrant will be based on its internal RB282 technology initiative, which covers engines in the 6,000- to 30,000lb-thrust range. The company has been testing certain components, including single-stage high pressure turbines and compressor and fan blade designs.
Engine selection on Cessna's Large Cabin Concept is likely be open to more competitors as development programmes mature. Cessna says the new aircraft, currently in the "pre-design phase", will enter into service around 2013 and offer "standing height" like that of the Gulfstream G550.
P&WC will likely compete with a new 10,000-14,000lb-thrust engine, leveraging technologies from an Advanced Turbofan Integrator demonstration programme launched a few years ago as well from other advanced technology work underway within the larger Pratt & Whitney Group.
John Saabas, P&WC executive vice-president, says the new engine will represent a "step change" for noise and emissions, "based on proven technologies".
Snecma is starting with a disadvantage - it does not have an engine for the business-aviation sector. It has been studying an 8,000-12,000lb-thrust engine for the past five years, starting from earlier work on the PowerJet SaM146 Sukhoi SuperJet 100 jet engine. The resulting design, the Silvercrest, will provide 9,500-12,000lb-thrust and have an on-wing time of as much as 10,000h, says Cojan. Snecma plans to test the core engine prototype by year's end.
Source: Flight International
